OUR VERDICT
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, pantomimes are upon us. I, for one, adore a good panto; it’s a Christmas tradition steeped in nostalgia, a uniquely British eccentricity and good old-fashioned fun for all the family, and this year’s glittering production of Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs at Richmond Theatre is no exception.
The stage immediately sets the mood before the lights even go down; a vast, unbelievably glittery background emblazoned with the show’s name lights up the theatre’s staggeringly beautiful auditorium.
The first characters we meet are the completely brilliant seven dwarfs, who steal the show throughout.
For this production, pantomime company Qdos Entertainment has chosen to use tall actors on their knees, and, thanks to their ingenious costumes and wonderful performances, the result is very funny.
CRAIG SUGDEN
All seven perform with energy and aptitude, but Conleth Kane and Jabari Braham were particularly charismatic. After the opening scene, we then don’t see this merry band of men until the very end of the first half, which is a shame, but their big number – the hilarious ‘You Raise Me Up’ - is worth waiting for.
Comedian, writer and presenter Jo Brand is this year’s big-name, treading Richmond’s boards as the wicked Queen Lucretia. As you’d expect, she is hilariously deadpan, wonderfully rude, and plays the panto villain like a pro, encouraging plenty of vigorous booing and ‘oh no you’re not!’s. Her trademark sardonic style and dry wit fits the role perfectly, and her solo ‘I Put on a Spell on You’ is great fun. I couldn’t help but feel that she may have been slightly under-rehearsed on the night that we saw her, but she carried the show along nonetheless and I suspect she’ll go from strength to strength once settled in.
CRAIG SUGDEN
Nurse Nancy, played by Jason Sutton, is the perfect panto dame – fabulous costumes, cheeky jokes and her recurring displays of lustful affection for Alex (an unsuspecting member of the audience sitting in the front row) were hilarious.
Panto veteran Jon Clegg plays Muddles – endearing, wonderfully silly and ever the professional, his ability to work the crowd is masterful (this is his 19th consecutive year doing panto, after all).
Elsewhere – Mia Starbuck is adorable as Snow White and James Darch makes a dashing Prince Harry of Hampton. The company work hard, and Babette Langford’s talented Young Set add serious cute factor.
The sets and costumes are what you’d expect (glittery and fun) but one or two more company costume changes would have added a bit more interest.
CRAIG SUGDEN
The plot feels muddled at times, the clunky script jumps from one scene to the next with little coherence; I am dubious as to whether children (or most adults for that matter) will be able to follow what’s actually going on, but the story’s familiar moments are all there so one can vaguely follow along.
Some routines feel dated – a tedious exchange between Nurse Nancy and Muddles about DVDs, and another about sweets, could both be cut.
The first few gags about Whitton or Wandsworth are funny, but after the sixth or seventh time the joke had worn off.
CRAIG SUGDEN
On the other hand, there’s a brilliant tongue twister routine between Prince Harry, Nurse Nancy and Muddles which is both impressive and wonderfully funny, a heart-warming and hilarious routine involving children from the audience and a sing-along fart joke, and Muddles’ rendition of ‘You’ve Got a Friend in Me’, which he performs via dozens of different impersonations, is brilliant.
At the end of the day, it’s panto, filled with cheesy song and dance routines, general silliness, lots of laughs and plenty of glitter. If you take it too seriously, you’re not going to have a good night.
I belly laughed (a lot), I booed and cheered along with the rest of the audience, and I left feeling light-hearted and ready for Christmas - surely that is the point of panto, and Richmond’s is a good one.
On now until Jan 5 at Richmond Theatre, Little Green, Richmond TW9 1QJ (book here)
